The circulating component of the mammalian circulatory system comprises various cell types, including red and white blood cells of the erythroid and myeloid cell lineages. See, e.g., Rapaport (1987) Introduction to Hematology (2d ed.) Lippincott, Philadelphia, Pa.; Jandl (1987) Blood: Textbook of Hematology, Little, Brown and Co., Boston, Mass.; and Paul (ed.) (1993) Fundamental Immunology (3d ed.) Raven Press, NY.
Growth factors, which are typically proteins, influence cellular proliferation and/or differentiation. Usually their effects are mediated through a cell membrane receptor. Some growth factors function via an autocrine signal. The growth factors have varying ranges of specificity of target cells. For example, certain factors play roles in oogenesis, see, e.g., Padgett, et al. (1987) Nature 325:81-84; Ferguson, et al. (1992) Cell 71:451-461; Staehling-Hampton, et al. (1994) Nature 372:783-786; and Panganiban, et al. (1990) Mol. Cell. Biol. 10:2669-2677, in embryogenesis, see, e.g., Xie, et al. (1994) Science 263:1756-1759; Raz, et al. (1993) Genes and Development 7:1937-1948; Brand, et al. (1994) Genes and Development 8:629-639; Goode, et al. (1992) Development 116:177-192; Livneh, et al. (1985) Cell 40:599-607; and Neuman-Silberberg, et al. (1993) Cell 75:164-174; and in morphogenesis, see, e.g., Heberlein, et al. (1993) Cell 75:913-926; Nellen, et al. (1994) Cell 78:225-237; Brummel, et al. (1994) Cell 78:251-261; and Penton, et al. (1994) Cell 78:239-250; of specific cell types or organs.
For some time, it has been known that the mammalian immune response is based on a series of complex cellular interactions, called the “immune network.” Recent research has provided new insights into the inner workings of this network. While it remains clear that much of the response does, in fact, revolve around the network-like interactions of lymphocytes, macrophages, granulocytes, and other cells, immunologists now generally hold the opinion that soluble proteins, known as lymphokines, cytokines, or monokines, play a critical role in controlling these cellular interactions. Thus, there is considerable interest in the isolation, characterization, and mechanisms of action of cell modulatory factors, an understanding of which should lead to significant advancements in the diagnosis and therapy of numerous medical abnormalities, e.g., immune system and other disorders.
Lymphokines apparently mediate cellular activities in a variety of ways. They have been shown to support the proliferation, growth, and differentiation of the pluripotential hematopoietic stem cells into vast numbers of progenitors comprising diverse cellular lineages making up a complex immune system. These interactions between the cellular components are necessary for a healthy immune response. These different cellular lineages often respond in a different manner when lymphokines are administered in conjunction with other agents.
The chemokines are a large and diverse superfamily of proteins. The superfamily is subdivided into three branches, based upon whether the first two cysteines in the classical chemokine motif are adjacent (termed the “C—C” branch) or spaced by an intervening residue (“C—X—C”), or a new branch which lacks two cysteines in the corresponding motif, represented by the chemokines known as lymphotactins. See, e.g., Schall and Bacon (1994) Current Opinion in Immunology 6:865-873; and Bacon and Schall (1996) Int. Arch. Allergy & Immunol. 109:97-109.
There is considerable interest in the isolation, characterization, and mechanisms of action of modulatory factors. Many factors have been identified which influence the differentiation process of precursor cells, or regulate the physiology or migration properties of specific cell types. These observations indicate that other factors exist whose functions in immune function were heretofore unrecognized. These factors provide for biological activities whose spectra of effects may be distinct from known differentiation or activation factors. The absence of knowledge about the structural, biological, and physiological properties of the regulatory factors which regulate cell physiology in vivo prevents the modification of the effects of such factors. Thus, medical conditions where regulation of the development or physiology of relevant cells is required remains unmanageable.